LONG BEACH >> Change could once again be in store for the historic three-story lifeguard headquarters at the foot of Junipero Avenue on the beach — this time by the demands of simple progress.

Female lifeguards, who now account for 10 percent of the staff, need separate showers, lockers and sleeping areas, and the building needs to be brought up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, according to Marine Safety Capt. Gonzalo Medina.

Medina also said a better area is needed to provide prompt first-aid to bathers and beach visitors, including those injured by sting rays, and a place to park lifeguard vehicles and host community meetings, Medina said.

Long Beach planners are now soliciting statements of qualifications for architectural and engineering design services for the beach and lifeguard operations, along with the junior lifeguard facility in Belmont Shore.

Those statements are due Wednesday, according to Eric Lopez, the Tidelands capital projects program manager for Long Beach’s Public Works Department.

The City Council has approved $650,000 for planning and design services for these projects, Lopez said, adding that the scope of the project has not yet been finalized. A conceptual design recommendation will be made after a team evaluates the project’s “opportunities and constraints, the existing facilities and the operational needs of staff,” according to the city.

The public’s input will also be sought, Lopez said.

Originally the lifeguard headquarters was in the downtown shoreline area near the Pine Avenue Pier, but both the pier and station were destroyed during a dramatic 1936 storm.

The headquarters was rebuilt at the foot of Linden Avenue in 1938, funded by former President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. It was moved to its current location, 2100 E. Ocean Blvd., in 1961, when the Rainbow Pier was moved to make way for an expanded shoreline.

One possible option is building a new headquarters while making the historic structure a lifeguard museum. That option has the support of two veteran lifeguards, Scotty Deeds and Dick Miller.

“That’s what we would like to do,” said Deeds, 92.

Lopez emphasized that since the consultant hasn’t been selected, “it is way too early to discuss specific recommendations.”

Lopez added that the main objective is to preserve the historic significance of the lifeguard headquarters building, “while renovating it and improving it to meet current demands and public safety requirements.”